6 Ways To Make Your Golf GTI Faster

May 26, 2018

Hero Image Credit: pinterest.com

If you love your Golf GTI, and you want to make yours faster, then this article is for you. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want more speed? While your stock Golf GTI already sounds great and looks amazing, a true car enthusiast is always thinking about how you can make it even better. In this article we’ve listed some of the best modifi,cations you can make to your Golf GTI so you can make your inner speed demon go even faster.

Regular Servicing

Many people forget this one, but a regular service and tune up is one of the cheapest and most logical places to start when it comes to maximising performance and speed.

As part of a tune up, change your oil regularly and don’t skimp on quality. It’s important to maintain the same, if not better-quality oil than what is provided as stock. Full synthetic brands such as Castrol Edge or Rotella T6 can look after your GTI’s engine, sustaining its performance more effectively over time.

But what if these basics just aren’t giving you enough “oomph”?

Tune Your ECU

Tuning your ECU increases power and makes your Golf more efficient and fun to drive. After making changes such as tyres, an intercooler, general maintenance and intake, maximise these modifications by customising your ECU’s tuning.

From the factory, the ECU is tuned to be conservative - leaving huge amounts of safe and reliable power in reserve. This power is ready to be released stage by stage with each tune up by improving the engine’s use of fuel, air and mapping.

The major players in the tuning space are Unitronic, APR, Eurodyne and Revo, but there are plenty of other smaller players too. A widely recommended ECU Tune is the APR Stage 1, with most drivers highlighting a significant and immediate boost in performance.

As you add more to your car, in terms of performance parts, then you can consider the Stage 2 tune further down the track as well.

Add Nitros

Nitros is an oxygen-rich compressed gas and when pumped into your engine, with the correct fuel mixture, gives a huge power boost. Nitros is a good option to enhance the money you’ve already spent. But, be warned though - the gas runs out quickly and will need to be refilled, making it expensive to maintain.

Unfortunately, NOS is not widely accepted in Australia and each state is somewhat different regarding the laws that apply. For example, in Victoria it’s against the law to have NOS in your car at all, but in other states it may be permitted.

In NSW it can be added to your car, but while on public roads the supply line must be disconnected with an A1 disarming kit property fitted to the engine. NOS is likely something you’ll only be considering for your track days and something you shouldn’t be using on public roads.

So while this is a mod that every performance driver wants, use caution and do your research into your local laws before adding this part to your car.

Image Credit: conceptcarz.com

Make It Lighter

It’s basic physics - light objects travel faster and by minimizing the weight of your car, it is able to move more quickly. There are many parts to a car which can slow it down from your alloy wheels, to your body kit, parts and more.

Consider replacing any steel panels with fibreglass or carbon, and glass windows with perspex. Standard seats can be replaced with fibreglass seats and any unwanted seats removed. While you’re at it, you can even remove trim too, just look at any kind of race car and see that there’s nothing sexy about it on the inside.

Finally, if you’re desperate for more performance gains, then a quick and easy idea is to remove the spare wheel - but make sure you cross your fingers and pray to the car gods that you avoid any punctures.

At AusBody Works we specialise in car body kits for Golf GTIs, so why not chat to our team about adding a lightweight body kit to your ride today.

Upgrade Your Engine

Do this modification after you have done many of the smaller and easier ones that come beforehand, such as exhaust, cold air intakes, tyres, stripping, etc.

We highly recommend that you consider an APR Stage 1 or Stage 2 tune before considering a complete engine replacement and for most this will simply be an unaffordable modification.

Upgrading your Golf GTI engine is not cheap or easy but it will give you more power and we know that power equals speed. Two options for engines that can be dropped straight into your Golf include a VR6 and a 1.8L turbo.

Keep in mind however that when replacing an engine, you also need to replace things like wiring, ECU and the gearbox as well. Whatever way you look at it, any kind of engine swap is going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars and you’ll want the end result for this to be worth it.

Golf GTI Body Kit

Many people think body kits only improve the way their car looks. The great news is a body kit can also make your car lighter and more aerodynamic, which means more speed.

The materials you choose to use affect the cost of a body kit for your Golf. Remember, when it comes to speed, the lighter the better in this case. Do your research and find the kit and materials that are right for you.

AusBody Works specialize in high quality, stylish and affordable ABS and polyurethane body kits. If you own a Golf GTI, then it’s likely our #1 Australian online body kit store has the gear for you.

These are just some of the great modifications you can make to your Golf GTI for increased speed. Contact AusBody Works for more information on how we can assist you to improve your car’s speed and style for a price that suits you.

Also in articles